John Cleese is a comedian, actor, producer, and director, as well as the Provost's Visiting Professor at Cornell University. Cleese is best known for his work on Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers, as well as numerous other on-screen performances, including as Q in the James Bond franchise and Nearly Headless Nick in the Harry Potter movies. Cleese holds an M.A. in law from Cambridge University, and an honorary LL.D. from St. Andrews University, where he was rector for several years.
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Introduction: Stephen J. Ceci 1. Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind: JOHN CLEESE * APRIL 4, 1999 2. Screenwriting Seminar: JOHN CLEESE AND BILL GOLDMAN * OCTOBER 14, 2000 3. Sermon at Sage Chapel: JOHN CLEESE * APRIL 22, 2001 4. The Human Face: JOHN CLEESE AND STEPHEN J. CECI * APRIL 28, 2001 5. What Is Religion? Musings on Life of Brian: JOHN CLEESE * OCTOBER 22, 2004 6. Creativity, Group Dynamics, and Celebrity: JOHN CLEESE AND BETA MANNIX * APRIL 19, 2009 7. A Conversation with John Cleese: JOHN CLEESE AND DEAN JOHN SMITH * SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 Index
A fascinating insider look at the mind behind Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. Cleese's lectures are, expectedly, equal parts entertaining and thoughtful. (Vanity Fair) Professor Cleese is often funny, frequently perceptive and, unlike many professors, never dull. (The New York Times) An entertaining collection.... Informative and engrossing with expert insights. (The Times Literary Supplement) Cleese is a lively, quirky enlightener, always zipping between-or bringing together-the ridiculous and the sublime.... Professor Cleese, may I audit your next course? (The Weekly Standard) Cleese's observations on human nature and scientific topics stand the test of time.... Fans of the Monty Python sketches and films, the sitcom Fawlty Towers, the film A Fish Called Wanda.... and more know that he's clever, quick and funny. The Cornell lectures demonstrate those traits as well as his wide range of interests, his expertise in a variety of fields, and his humanity. (Columbus Dispatch) This collection of speeches and conversations with Monty Python alum Cleese is not unlike the man himself: hilarious, always clever, and a little off-kilter. (Publishers Weekly) Cleese reveals a sharp but humane sensibility as well as a wicked sense of humor when it comes to human frailty. What surprises is the depth of his understanding. As provocative as it is amusing-an edifying journey through the mind of a major talent. (Kirkus Reviews) Brilliant.... As with a really fine magazine that makes you want to keep reading even as one piece ends and a completely unrelated one begins, Cleese provides an appealing sensibility amounting to a connecting thread that makes you eager to see where he'll go next.... It's a delight to learn along with him. (National Review)